Electrical connectors

ABSTRACT

An electrical connection is formed by a pair of connectors which engage one another such that contact resistance between the two is extremely low. The one connector is attached to a wire and has a hollow barrel surrounded by a flange. The other connector is disposed within a socket and includes a pin sized to fit within a barrel and a plurality of resilient contact fingers spaced around the pin and in electrical contact therewith. When the first connector is inserted into the socket, the barrel passes over the pin and between the fingers so that the pin engages the internal surface of the barrel while the fingers engage the external barrel surface. The socket contains a locking clip which engages the flange on the barrel and prevents withdrawal of the first connector from the socket.

United States Patent Wolfe, Jr. et al. 1 51 Feb. 13, 1973 [54]ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS lnvenmrsl WilliamWolfe, Louis; 320,997 8 1902 France ..339/262 R Donald Bowdish,Overland, both 799,503 8/1958 Great Britain ..'..339/l 11 of Mo. 73]Assignee: McDonnell Douglas Corporation, Primary Examimj" -losephMcGlynn Saint Louis, Mo. Att0rneyGravely, Lieder & Woodruff [22] Filed:April 21, 1971 [57] ABSTRACT [21] Appl' 135311 An electrical connectionis formed by a pair of connectors which engage one another such thatcontact 339/93 339/1 1 l resistance between the two is extremely low.The one 339/253 R, 339/262 R connector is attached to a wire and has ahollow bar- Cl- ..H0ll' rel urrounded a flange The other connector is[58] F'eld search""339/74 H disposed within a socket and includes a pinsized to fit 339/259 262 within a barrel and a plurality of resilientcontact finv. gers spaced around the pin and in electrical contact [56]References Cited therewith. When the first connector is inserted intoUNITED STATES PATENTS the socket, the barrel passes over the pin andbetween 896,210 8 1908 James ..339/111 m g engages the internal3,155,448 11 1964,v Korsgren, Jr. .339/75R o t e we e Fngaget eextefna2,287,676 6 1942 Frank etal. ..339/111 rel Surface The socket comalns alocking P which 2,324,891 7/1943 Thumim ..339/93 C ngages the flange onthe barrel and prevents 2,944,24l 7/1960 Londell, Jr... 339/258 Rwithdrawal of the first connector from the socket. 3,079,582. 2/1963Lazar 339/258 R 3,397,384 8/1968- Lawrence ..339/258 P 7 Claims, 5Drawing Figures ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thisinvention relates in general to connecting devices and more particularlyto electrical connectors.

Electrical components such as terminal blocks, switches, relays, circuitbreakers and the like are often provided with connectors of one type oranother for attaching electrical wires to those components. Some of theconnectors are of the female variety and of course accept mating maleconnector elements on the wires. Others are of the male variety, inwhich case the wires must be provided with female connectors. In anyevent, little standardization exists and consequently electricalcomponents of different manufacturers are rarely interchangeable, eventhough they may be designed for similar products. Moreover, inelectrical connections which are formed by engaged male and femaleconnectors of the conventional variety, only one surface of eachconnector engages the other connector. For example, only the internalsurface of the female connector contacts the external surface of themale connector. This characteristic of conventional male and femaleconnectors often results in excessive electrical contact resistance andfurthermore impairs the ability of one connector to transfer heat to theother connector and thereby dissipate heat from an overheated electricalcomponent or wire. The present practice of using male connectors on somecomponents and female connectors on others, furthermore, createsinventory problems, in that the assembler of the components must stockboth male and female connectors for use on thewires which lead to thecomponents.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One of the principal objects of the presentinvention is to provide an electricalconnection which is ideally suitedfor in line connections as well as for attaching wires to components ofelectrical circuits such as switches, terminal blocks, circuit breakers,relays, and the like. Another object is to standardize electricalconnectors, and to eliminate the present need for assemblers ofelectrical equipment to stock both female and male connectors. A furtherobject is to provide an electrical connection having extremely lowcontact resistance. An additional object is to provide an electricalconnection which readily conducts heat. Still another object is toprovide a termination for wires which will resist substantial lateralforces and vibration forces applied to the wires without disruptingelectrical continuity. Yet another object isto provide an electricalconnection system which may be utilized with a minimum number of parts,tools, and accessories. These and other objects and advantages willbecome apparent hereinafter.

The present invention resides in a connector for engaging anotherconnectorhaving a hollow barrel. The connector of the invention includesa pin which projects into the barrel and a plurality of fingers whichengage the external surface of the barrel and further are in electricalcontact with the pin. The invention also resides in the connection.formed by the two connectors. The invention also. consists in the partsand in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter describedand claimed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings which form partof the specification and wherein like numerals refer to like partswherever they occur:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an electrical connectionconstructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modified electricalconnection;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of still another modifiedelectrical connection; and

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of yet another modifiedelectrical connection.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now in detail to the drawings (FIG. 1), 2designates an electrical connection or junction for connecting a wire 4to an electrical component 6, the latter of which may be a terminalblock, a switch, a motor, a relay, an electrical instrument, or thelike. The electrical connection 2 consists of two basic elements ormating parts, namely a first connector 8 attached to the wire 4, and asecond connector 10 set into the component 6.

The electrical component 6 '(FIG. 1) includes a header 20 and aretention block 22, the latter of which is secured against the back faceof the former. The header 20 may be formed from a dielectric or anelectrically conductive substance, depending on the nature of thecomponent 6, but the header 20 should be rigid in order to support thesecond connector 10. The retention block 22, formed from a dielectricmaterial which is also rigid in nature. In addition to the header 20 andretention block 22, the component 6 may have an elastomeric grommet 26which is contained with a cup-like grommet support 28. The grommetsupport 28 is in turn attached to the back of the retention block 22 andis formed from a dielectric material. Also disposed within the grommetsupport 28 and interposed between the back face of the retention block22 and the elastomeric grommet 26 is a dielectric separating plate 30.Alternatively, the grommet 26 may be bonded to the plate 30 or directlyto the retention block 22. That portion of the electrical component 6presented to the rear of the header 20, that is the retention block 22,the separating plate 30, the grommet 26 and the grommet support 28, isprovided with a socket 32 which takes the form of a bore 34 andcounterbore 36 within the retention block 22 and a ribbed hole 38 withinthe grommet 26. The bore 34 extends away from the back face of theheader 20 and opens into the counterbore 36 at a shoulder. Thecounterbore 36 terminates at the separating plate 30 and opens into theribbed hole 38 through an aperture in the plate 30. As its name implies,the ribbed hole 38 is provided with a plurality of ribs 40 which extendcircumferentially therein and are somewhat smaller in diameter than theexternal diameter of the wire 4 to which the first connector 8 isattached.

The second connector 10 is disposed within the bore 34 and counterbore36 of the retention block 22 (FIG. I) and includes a metal pin 46 whichis fixed rigid in the header 20 and projects into the bore 34 therefrom.The fixed end of the pin 46 is connected to the electrical circuitry ofthe component, whereas the opposite or free end is rounded, or in otherwords is dome-shaped. Within the bore 34 the pin 46 is surrounded by aplurality of resilient contact fingers 48 which are formed from a springmetal and extend from a common base 50 formed integral therewith. Thebase 50 is positioned against the back face of the header 20 and isapertured to receive the pin 46 which projects through it. To retain thefingers 48 in the foregoing position, the base 50 from which they extendis soldered, brazed or otherwise securely fastened to the pin 46adjacent to the back face of the header 20. This places the fingers 48at thesame electrical potential as the pin 46. The fingers 48 arepreferably of different arcuate size or width (FIG. 2) so that no twofingers 48 possess the same natural frequency. Accordingly, the fingers48 will not resonate at the same frequency. The same effect may beachieved by making one finger larger than another or of greater massthan another. The fixed or inner ends of the fingers 48 are joined tothe base 50 adjacent to the cylindrical wall of the bore 34, whereas thefree or outer ends are disposed inwardly from the wall of the bore 34,yet they are still spaced outwardly from the pin 46. The free ends ofthe fingers 48 have inwardly presented contact surfaces which face thepin 46 and are disposedv rearwardly from the dome-shaped end thereon.The free ends of the fingers 48 are also pro vided with outwardly turnedlips 52, and these lips 52 are setback from the shoulder separating thebore 34 and counterbore 36. The pin 46 projects axially beyond the lips52.

. The counterbore 36 retains a locking clip 56 (FIG. 1) including a basesection 58 which is seated against the shoulder located at the junctureof the bore 34 and counterbore 36, and this base section 58 is furtherapertured to accommodate the female connector 8. The base section 58merges into a sleeve 60 which bears against the cylindrical wall of thecounterbore 36 and radially positions the locking clip 56 in thecounterbore 36. The sleeve 60 extends through the counterbore 36, andnear the separating plate 30 it is connected to inwardly and forwardlyturned retention fingers 62 which are spaced circumferentially from oneanother within the interior of the counterbore 36. The fingers 62 extendaway from the separating plate 30 and terminate a predetermined distancefrom the base section 58. These fingers 62, like the contact fingers 48,are not outwardly obstructed and hence are free to move outwardly withinthe confines of the counterbore 36. The shoulder at the juncture of thebore 34 and counterbore 36 and the separating plate 30 axially positionthe locking clip 56 within the counterbore 36.

The first connector 8 (FIG. 1) is initially detached from the secondconnector and includes a metal barrel 70, the forward end of which isopen and is internally sized to loosely receive the pin 46 of the maleconnector 10. The forward end of the barrel 70 carries several wirecontact elements 72 which are biased inwardly so as to snugly grip thecylindrical side face of the pin 46 when the barrel 70 passes over it.Externally the forward end of the barrel 70 is slightly larger than theclosest spacing between opposite sets of contact fingers 48, but is notlarger than the circle defined by the outermost edges of the lips 52 onthose fingers 48. Consequently, as the barrel is advanced over the pin46, its forward end engages the lips 52, and spreads them apart so thatthe innermost surfaces of the contact fingers 48 will bear against theoutwardly presented surface of the barrel 70.

The rear or opposite end of the barrel 78 is also hollow and fittedtherein is the conductive portion of the wire 4, that is the metalconductor stripped of its insulation. Indeed, this end of the barrel .70is crimped at 74 or else is soldered to the conductive portion of thewire 4 so that good electrical contact exists between the wire 4 and thefemale connector 8.

Intermediate its ends the first connector 8 is provided with acircumferential flange 76 which is carried by the barrel 70 and projectsoutwardly therefrom. Both ends of the flange are squared off, and theaxial distance between the squared off end faces of these ends is lessthan the distance between the apertured base section 58 and the freeends of the retention fingers 62, both of which form part of the lockingclip 56 (FIG. 1 The distance from the forward end face of the barrel 70to the rearwardly presented face of of the flange 76 is less than thedistance from the base 50, from which the contact fingers 48 extend, tothe free ends of retention fingers 62 housed within the counterbore 36.Moreover, the diameter of the flange 76 is less than the diameter of theaperture in the separating plate 30, but is greater than the diameter ofthe aperture in the base section 58. It is also greater than the spacingbetween opposed pairs of retention fingers 62 at their free ends, andconsequently the flange 76 will spread the retention fingers 62 as thebarrel 70 passes over the pin 46. z

OPERATION To connect the wire 4 to the electrical component 6, the firstconnector'8 at the end of the wire 4 is inserted into the rearwardlyopening socket 32 in the component 6. Once the initial insertion hasbeen made and the first connector 8 is correctly-aligned with the socket32, the barrel 70 is forced axially into the socket 32 preferably bymeans of an insertion tool (not shown) which engages the back face ofthe flange 76. As the barrel 70 advances through the ribbed hole 38 inthe grommet 26, the ribs 40 therein, being formed from an elastomer,deform outwardly in the presence of the flange 76 and allow the flange76 and barrel 70 to pass inwardly. After the forward end of the barrel70 passes through the apertured base section 58 of the locking clip 56,the forward end of the barrel 70 will receive the pin 46 of the secondconnector 10. Indeed, the domed end of the pin 46 will enter the bore ofthe barrel 70 first and will guide the barrel into precise alignmentwith the socket bore 34 so that the advancement may continue. After ashort distance, the wire contact elements 72 within the barrel 70 willengage cylindrical side surface of the pin 46, establishing goodelectrical contact therewith. In addition, further advancement of thebarrel 70, brings its forward end face into engagement with theoutwardly flared lips 52, thus enabling the forward end of the barrel 70to spread the contact fingers 48 so that the free ends of those fingers48 ride upon the outwardly presented surface of the barrel 70. In otherwords, the advancing barrel 70 earns the contact fingers 48 outwardly sothat they are biased against the outwardly presented surface of thebarrel 70.

After the lead end of the barrel 70 engages and spreads the contactfingers 48, the flange 76 engages the retention fingers 62 and spreadsthem apart as the barrel 70 advances. When the flange 76 approaches thebase section 58 of the locking clip 56, the back face of the flange 76will pass beyond the free ends of the fingers 62, thus freeing thefingers 62 and enabling them to spring back to their original positions.Consequently, when the first connector 8 is fully inserted the free endsof the retention fingers 62 will be presented directly opposite the backface of the flange 76 so as to prevent unauthorized removal of the firstconnector 8 from the component socket 32 (FIG. 1). In other words, whenthe first connector 8 is fully engaged with the second connector 10, theflange 76 is captured between the apertured base section 58 and theretention fingers 62 of the locking clip 56, and this prevents the firstconnector 8 from moving axially in either direction.

Moreover, when first connector8 is fully inserted the circumferentialribs 40 of the elastomeric grommet 26 will snugly embrace the wire 4beyond the connectors 8 and and will prevent moisture and dirt fromentering the socket 32.

Since the female connector 8 is both internally and externally engagedwith second connector 10, extremely good contact results, and this inturn results in low contact resistance. The relatively large area ofcontact also provides more paths for heat conduction so that heat isreadily conducted away from the component by way of the connection 2 andwire 4. Accordingly, the connection 2 surpasses conventional connectionsin both its capability to conduct electricity and its capability toconduct heat.

While the contact fingers 48 when subjected to vibrations of a frequencyapproaching the natural frequency will resonate and thereby impair theirelectrical contact with the barrel 70 of the first connector 8, no twocontact fingers 48 will resonate at the same frequency since the fingers48 are of different arcuate width (FIG. 2). Thus, while one finger 48resonates, the other fingers 48 remain firmly engaged with the barrel 70so that the resistance of the electrical connection 2 does not increasesignificantly when resonating occurs.

To withdraw the first connector 8 from the socket 32, in which case thefirst connector 8 will detach from the second connector 10, asleeve-like extraction tool (not shown) is fitted around the wire 4 andinserted into the socket 32. As the extraction tool passes over thebarrel 70 it engages the inside faces of the retention fingers 62 andspreads those fingers so that eventually their free ends are spacedapart a distance greater than the diameter of the flange 76. When thisoccurs, the first connector 8 may be withdrawn from the second connector10 and likewise from the socket 32. If the first connector 8 is detachedwhile the connection 2 is conducting current, any arcing will occurbetween the end face of the barrel and the domed end of the pin 46,since those surfaces are the last to separate when the connectors 8 and10 are disconnected. In other words, since the free ends of the contactfingers 48 do not project as far into the, socket bore 34 as does thepin 46, they disengage the barrel 70 before the pin 46. Consequently, noarcing occurs between the contact fingers 48 and the barrel 70, and theinside contact surfaces on the fingers 48 and the external surfaces ofthe barrel remain free of pits.

In large amperage applications, such as welders, the domed end of thepin 46 may be a separate segment formed from a material capable ofwithstanding considerable arcing. Tungsten is ideally suited for thispurpose. When the separate domed segment erodes to the extent that it nolonger protects the pin 46 from arcing, it may be replaced.

Not only will the first connector 8 engage the second connector 10 toform the connection 2, it will also engage a conventional male typeconnector similar to the pin 46 or in the alternative a conventionalfemale conductor which remotely resembles the contact fingers 48. Thus,the first connector 8 may be utilized on wires leading to electricalcomponents having conventional connectors of either variety, and theassembler of those components need only stock female connectors, that isthe first connector 8.

MODIFICATIONS To create an extremely secure mount for the contactfingers 48 so that the second connector 10 will withstand relativelyhigh lateral forces, the base 50 from which those fingers 48 extend maybe fitted with a mounting sleeve (FIG. 3) which receives the pin 46 andextends along it for a substantial distance. The base 50 is soldered,brazed, or otherwise fastened to one end face of the sleeve 80, and thesleeve 80 in turn is likewise fastened to the pin 46.

Instead of turning outwardly at the end of the contact fingers 48, thelips 52 may turn inwardly toward the barrel 70 and then reversely alongthe barrel 70. In such a construction, the contact surfaces would, ofcourse, be along the reversely extending portions of the fingers 48.

While the electrical resistance of the connection 2 is extremely low, itmay be reduced still further by forming secondary contact fingers ortabs (FIG. 4) in the primary contact fingers 48. In particular, eachsecondary finger 90 is severed on three sides from its primary finger48, and remains integrally attached to the primary finger 48 only at itsend closest to the lips 52. Thus, while the primary fingers 48 extendaway from the base 50, the secondary fingers extend toward the base 50.The secondary fingers 90 are bent away from their respective primaryfingers 48 so that the free ends of opposed secondary fingers 90 arespaced apart a distance less than the diameter of the barrel 70, just asare the free ends of opposed primary fingers 48. Consequently, thefingers 48 engage the external surface of the barrel 70 not only attheir free ends, that is at their ends located adjacent to the flaredlips 52, but also at the free ends of the secondary fingers 90 carriedthereby.

Moreover, instead of joining the base 50 directly to the pin 46 bysoldering or some other permanent attachment, the base 50 may beprovided with locating fingers 92 (FIG. 4)-which turn axially awaytherefrom and when unrestrained are spaced apart a distance slightlyless than the diameter of the pin 46. The locating fingers 92 at theirfree ends turn slightly outwardly to form end abutments 94 against whichthe end of the barrel 70 abuts. Despite the presence of the locatingfingers 92 in the base 50, the base 50 is still annular adjacent .to theheader 20, or in other words is still continuous, and consequently thecontact fingers 48 and the locating fingers 92 are supported andpositioned by the base 50. 7

Since the base 50 when provided with the locating fingers 92 is notpermanently attached to the pin 46, the component consisting of the base50, contact fingers 48, and locating fingers 92 may be inserted into thesocket 32' after the pin 46 is positioned therein or it may be added-toan existing socket 32 provided with only the pin 46. in particular, thecomponent is merely inserted into the bore 34 of the socket 32 from theopen end thereof and advanced axially toward the header 20. After ashort distance, the locating fingers 92 engage the end of the pin 46,after which they pass over the outside surface of the pin 46 and thusform an electrical contact therewith. 7

It is also possible to combine the fingers 48 and locking clip 56 into asingle contact and locking element 100 (FIG. The element 100 includes asleeve 102 which fits snugly into the counterbore 36 of the socket 32.At its outer end the sleeve 102 merges into a plurality of inwardly andreversely turned retention fin-. gers 104 which are similar to and servethe same purpose as the retention fingers 62 on the locking clip 56. Atits opposite or inner end the sleeve 102 merges into a plurality ofcontact fingers 106 which initially converge toward the center of thesocket 32 and thereafter diverge toward the innermost end of the socket32, that is the end at the header 20. At their innermost ends of thecontact fingers 106 turn into end fingers 108 which extend inwardlyalong the header 20, and the end fingers l08'in turn merge into locatingfingers 110 which extend axially along the pin 46. Indeed, the locatingfingers 110 actually contact the pin 46, and are curled outwardly attheir ends to form end abutments 112. The distance between theendabutments 112 and the free ends of the retention fingers 104 equals orslightly exceeds the distance between the leading end of the barrel 70and the back face of the flange 76 on the first connector 8. The spacingbetween the opposed contact fingers 106 at the juncture formed by theconverging and diverging portions thereof is slightly less than thediameter of the barrel 70 of the first connector 8, and consequently theinwardly presented surfaces of the contact fingers 106 at thoselocations form contact surfaces for engaging the barrel 70.

The combined contact and locking element 100 is installed on the bore 34and counterbore 36, merely by passingit axially inwardly from the outerend of the counterbore 36. As the contact fingers 106 pass through thebore 34, the locating fingers 110 thereon engage the pin 46, and passover the surface thereof.

'1 flange 76 into engagement with the retention fingers 104, and thatflange spreads the fingers 104. When the leading end of the barrel 70reaches the end abutments' 1 12, the retention fingers 104 snap inwardlybehind the back face of the flange 76 and prevent withdrawal of thefirst connector 8 from the socket 32.

While the connectors 8 and 10 have been described in conjunction withterminal connections, they may also be used for in line connections.

This invention is intended to cover all changes and modifications of theexample of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosurewhich do not constitutedepartures from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is: 1. An electrical connection comprising: a. A blockhaving a socket provided with an open end and a closed end, a connectorin the socket and including: i. a pin mounted rigidly with respect tothe block and projecting into the socket from the closed end thereof,and resilient contact fingers positioned around the pin and havingoutwardly flared ends presented toward the open end of the socket, theresilient contact fingers being formed integral with and extended from acommon base of substantially the same thickness as the fingers, the basebeing positioned against the closed end of the socket and being extendedinwardly toward the pin so that the pin passes through the base, thebase being in electrical contact with the pin where the pin passesthrough it so that current will be conducted between the pin and thecontact fin gers; locking means in the socket and fixed relative to thelongitudinal axis thereof and of the pin, the locking means includingretention fingers which project inwardly and obliquely relative to thelongitudinal axis of the pin and generally toward the pin; and a matingconnector element including i. a barrel having a hollow interior whichopens outwardly from the forward end thereof and is sized to receive thepin, the barrel being thicker than the spacing between the opposedcontact fingers, whereby when the mating contactor is inserted into thesocket the barrel will pass over the pin and will further engage andspread the contact fingers so that the contact fingers will engage theexternal surface of the barrel, and

ii. a shoulder fixed in position relative to the barrel and located suchthat it will pass beyond the ends of the retention fingers when themating connector is inserted into the socket, the mating connector atthe outer periphery of the shoulder being wider than the spacing betweenopposed retention fingers, whereby'the mating connector will spread theretention fingers as it is inserted into the socket, and thereafter theretention fingers will snap inwardly so that their free ends aredisposed opposite to the shoulder and prevent withdrawal of the matingconnector from the socket.

2. An electrical connector according to claim 1 wherein the lockingmeans further includes a sleeve disposed in the socket, the retentionfingers being fonned integral with and extended from one end of thesleeve, and the flared ends of the contact fingers being connected toand formed integral with the other end of the sleeve.

3. An electrical connector according to claim 1 wherein the contactfingers have tabs formed integral therewith and projecting toward thebase, the spacing between the tabs of opposed fingers being less thanthe thickness of the pin so that the tabs also engage the externalsurface of the barrel when the barrel is passed over the pin.

4. An electrical connector disposed within a socket of an insulatedblock and adapted to engage and form an electrical connection with amating connector having a hollow barrel at its end and a flange, thesocket having closed and open ends and further containing locking meanshaving resilient retention fingers which project obliquely toward theclosed end of the socket for engaging the flange on the mating connectorand thereby holding the mating connector in the socket; said connectorcomprising: resilient contact fingers forked integral with and extendedfrom a common base located adjacent to the closed end of the socket, thebase extending generally across the closed end of the socket and beingsubstantially the same thickness as the fingers, the fingers at theirends located remote from the base being flared outwardly, the fingersfurther being spaced apart a distance less than the thickness of thebarrel so that the fingers will engage the external surface of thebarrel when the mating connector is inserted into the socket; and a pinprojecting into the socket from the'closed end thereof and beingpositioned between opposed contact fingers, the pin further projectingthrough and contactingthe base from which the contact fingers extend soas to be in electrical contact with the base at that location, wherebycurrent will be conducted between the pin and contact fingers, the pinbeing sized to fit into the hollow interior'of the barrel on the matingconnector such that it comes into contact with the barrel, whereby thebarrel of the mating connector is electrically connected to theconnector through the pin and the contact fingers thereof.

5. An electrical connector according to claim 4 wherein the pin projectsaxially beyond the contact surfaces on the fingers, whereby the barrelof the other connector will disengage the fingers before disengaging thepin.

6. An electrical connector according to claim 4 wherein the contactfingers have tabs which project inwardly therefrom and have contactsurfaces located axially from the contact surfaces of the fingers, thecontact surfaces on opposed tabs being spaced apart a distance less thanthe width of the barrel so that the contact surfaces of the tabs willlikewise engage the external surface of the barrel on the otherconnector when the barrel is passed over the pin.

7. An electrical connector according to claim 4 and furthercharacterized by locating fingers formed .integral with the base andfrictionally gripping the pin so that the base and contact fingers canbe installed over the pin from the free end thereof.

1. An electrical connection comprising: a. A block having a socketprovided with an open end and a closed end, b. a connector in the socketand including: i. a pin mounted rigidly with respect to the block andprojecting into the socket from the closed end thereof, and ii.resilient contact fingers positioned around the pin and having outwardlyflared ends presented toward the open end of the socket, the resilientcontact fingers being formed integral with and extended from a commonbase of substantially the same thickness as the fingers, the base beingpositioned against the closed end of the socket and being extendedinwardly toward the pin so that the pin passes through the base, thebase being in electrical contact with the pin where the pin passesthrough it so that current will be conducted between the pin and thecontact fingers; c. locking means in the socket and fixed relative tothe longitudinal axis thereof and of the pin, the locking meansincluding retention fingers which project inwardly and obliquelyrelative to the longitudinal axis of the pin and generally toward thepin; and d. a mating connector element including i. a barrel having ahollow interior which opens outwardly from the forward end thereof andis sized to receive the pin, the barrel being thicker than the spacingbetween the opposed contact fingers, whereby when the mating contactoris inserted into the socket the barrel will pass over the pin and willfurther engage and spread the contact fingers so that the contactfingers will engage the external surface of the barrel, and ii. ashoulder fixed in position relative to the barrel and located such thatit will pass beyond the ends of the retention fingers when the matingconnector is inserted into the socket, the mating connector at the outerperiphery of the shoulder being wider than the spacing between opposedretention fingers, whereby the mating connector will spread theretention fingers as it is inserted into the socket, and thereafter theretention fingers will snap inwardly so that their free ends aredisposed opposite to the shoulder and prevent withdrawal of the matingconnector from the socket.
 1. An electrical connection comprising: a. Ablock having a socket provided with an open end and a closed end, b. aconnector in the socket and including: i. a pin mounted rigidly withrespect to the block and projecting into the socket from the closed endthereof, and ii. resilient contact fingers positioned around the pin andhaving outwardly flared ends presented toward the open end of thesocket, the resilient contact fingers being formed integral with andextended from a common base of substantially the same thickness as thefingers, the base being positioned against the closed end of the socketand being extended inwardly toward the pin so that the pin passesthrough the base, the base being in electrical contact with the pinwhere the pin passes through it so that current will be conductedbetween the pin and the contact fingers; c. locking means in the socketand fixed relative to the longitudinal axis thereof and of the pin, thelocking means including retention fingers which project inwardly andobliquely relative to the longitudinal axis of the pin and generallytoward the pin; and d. a mating connector element including i. a barrelhaving a hollow interior which opens outwardly from the forward endthereof and is sized to receive the pin, the barrel being thicker thanthe spacing between the opposed contact fingers, whereby when the matingcontactor is inserted into the socket the barrel will pass over the pinand will further engage and spread the contact fingers so that thecontact fingers will engage the external surface of the barrel, and ii.a shoulder fixed in position relative to the barrel and located suchthat it will pass beyond the ends of the retention fingers when themating connector is inserted into the socket, the mating connector atthe outer periphery of the shoulder being wider than the spacing betweenopposed retention fingers, whereby the mating connector will spread theretention fingers as it is inserted into the socket, and thereafter theretention fingers will snap inwardly so that their free ends aredisposed opposite to the shoulder and prevent withdrawal of the matingconnector from the socket.
 2. An electrical connector according to claim1 wherein the locking means further includes a sleeve disposed in thesocket, the retention fingers being formed integral with and extendedfrom one end of the sleeve, and the flared ends of the contact fingersbeing connected to and formed integral with the other end of the sleeve.3. An electrical connector according to claim 1 wherein the contactfingers have tabs formed integral therewith and projecting toward thebase, the spacing between the tabs of opposed fingers being less thanthe thickness of the pin so that the tabs also engage the externalsurface of the barrel when the barrel is passed over the pin.
 4. Anelectrical connector disposed within a socket of an insulated block andadapted to engage and form an electrical connection with a matingconnector having a hollow barrel at its end and a flange, the sockethaving closed and open ends and further containing locking means havingresilient retention fingers which project obliquely toward the closedend of the socket for engaging the flange on the mating connector andthereby holding the mating connector in the socket; said connectorcomprising: resilient contact fingers forked integral with and extendedfrom a common base located adjacent to the closed end of the socket, thebase extending generally across the closed end of the socket and beingsubstantially the same thickness as the fingers, the fingers at theirends located remote from the base being flared outwardly, the fingersfurther being spaced apart a distance less than the thickness of thebarrel so that the fingers will engage the external surface of thebarrel when the mating connector is inserted into the socket; and a pinprojecting into the socket from the closed end thereof and beingpositioned between opposed contact fingers, the pin further projectingthrough and contacting the base from which the contact fingers extend soas to be in electrical contact with the base at that location, wherebycurrent will be conducted between the pin and contact fingers, the pinbeing sized to fit into the hollow interior of the barrel on the matingconnector such that it comes into contact with the barrel, whereby thebarrel of the mating connector is electrically connected to theconnector through the pin and the contact fingers thereof.
 5. Anelectrical connector according to claim 4 wherein the pin projectsaxially beyond the contact surfaces on the fingers, whereby the barrelof the other connector will disengage the fingers before disengaging thepin.
 6. An electrical connector according to claim 4 wherein the contactfingers have tabs which project inwardly therefrom and have contactsurfaces located axially from the contact surfaces of the fingers, thecontact surfaces on opposed tabs being spaced apart a distance less thanthe width of the barrel so that the contact surfaces of the tabs willlikewise engage the external surface of the barrel on the otherconnector when the barrel is passed over the pin.